As public punishments by the Taliban continue, a man was flogged in the northern province of Baghlan over what Taliban described as “running away from home” and moral offences.
In a statement, the Taliban-run supreme court said the man received 25 lashes and was sentenced to six months in prison. It said the punishment was carried out after the verdict was approved by the Taliban supreme court.
The court said the flogging was conducted in the presence of local Taliban officials, civil servants and members of the security forces.
The punishment comes amid a rise in public corporal punishments since the start of the new year.
Official figures released by the Taliban supreme court show that at least 37 people were flogged across 10 provinces in less than the first week of the year.
According to the court’s data, floggings have been carried out in provinces including Balkh, Uruzgan, Nangarhar, Khost, Ghazni, Kabul, Parwan, Kunar, Paktia and Herat, for offences including alcohol sales, theft, adultery, same-sex relations and currency forgery.
Human rights activists have criticised the Taliban’s use of corporal punishment, warning it risks normalising violence and instilling fear among the population.
The Taliban have defended such punishments as part of their interpretation of Islamic law.
